You Again
by charmingchrissy1
Summary: Five years ago, Midorima Shintaro packed all of his things and left without a word. His boyfriend of four years, Takao Kazunari was left confused and heartbroken by the man he loved so dearly. Now, Midorima has come back for his little sister's wedding where he once again see's Takao and remembers everything he tried so desperately to forget. Multiple pairings.
1. Midorima Shintaro

**Summary** : It's never easy to come home and discover that the person you love has left like a ship in the night. It's like they suddenly just decided they don't love you anymore and fall off the face of the planet. Five years ago, Midorima Shintaro packed all of his things and left without a word. His boyfriend of four years, Takao Kazunari was left confused and heartbroken by the man he loved so dearly. Now, Midorima has come back for his little sister's wedding where he once again see's Takao and remembers everything he tried so desperately to forget.

 **Pairings** : Midorima x Takao, Kise x Kasamatsu, Kagami x Kuroko (minor), Akashi x Furihata (minor), Himuro x Murasakibara (minor)

 **Genres:** Romance, Angst, and Humor

 **Warnings:** Some Foul Langauge. Mild Sexual Content. Boy x Boy.

 **Author's Note** : Updates will be every Monday unless stated otherwise. Forgive my typos and grammar errors, if you point them out I will fix them. Thank you for reading sweethearts!

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 _"You can love someone so much, but you can never love people as much as you can miss them."_

 _-John Green_

* * *

 **MIDORIMA SHINTARO**

"Yes mother, I will be there," Midorima Shintaro sighed as he walked out of the hospital in New York City. It was a gloomy day with overcast skies and soupy snowy ground. As he walked across the terrace, he adjusted the scarf around his neck to block out the chilly weather. "Can I just say that it's ridiculous that she wants to get married on Valentines Day? That's already bad luck as it is," Midorima grumbled as he reached the sidewalk and waved his hand in the air to get a cab.

" _Shintaro! It's her special day, be nice,_ " his mother scolded from the other end of the line. She laughed lightly and he could just picture her shaking her head and rolling her pretty green eyes. " _Have a safe flight, honey. I'll see you when you get in okay?_ " she said and he could just see her bright cheerful smile.

"See you soon, mom," Midorima said softly, knowing his mother was so excited he was coming home. It wasn't just cause she was glad he was coming for his little sister's wedding, this would be the first time he'd be back in Japan in nearly five years. When he graduated from medical school in Tokyo, he moved to America to do his residency. He was so busy and never had time to see his family anymore. Midorima didn't go home for holidays or birthdays or anything at all, but mostly it was because he didn't want too.

" _Bye honey, I love you! I'll see you soon_ ," his mother said lovingly before she hung up the phone.

Midorima sighed and slipped his phone back into his pocket. A cab pulled up in front of him moments later and he climbed inside. When he shut the door, he gave the driver the address of his apartment. The driver nodded and quickly sped off. It was nine in the morning, three days before his younger sister's wedding. His mother and father thought it would be a great surprise for him to come, meaning his sister had no idea. She was twenty-four years old and getting married to some photographer. It made sense; his little sister always loved the artsy and poetic types.

Midorima had never met the man she was marrying, but his parents seemed to really like him. The green haired doctor sighed softly and looked out the window. For some reason, he felt a little anxious about returning to Tokyo. When he left he pretty much fell off the face of the planet to all his old friends. They tried to reach out to him, but he shut them all out. He wanted a fresh start, and fresh starts didn't happen if you brought the past with you. Midorima felt bad, he really did, but it was all in the past now. He was only going to be in Japan for one week, how bad could it possibly get?

Midorima cursed himself for even thinking such a thing. It was like he was challenging the universe to make it suck as much as possible. He was a doctor; he learned very quickly that the universe tended to be against people most of the time. That's why he went to extreme lengths to ensure everything went right. Of course, sometimes it wasn't enough. As a doctor, Midorima's job was to save lives, but not every life could be saved. He always did everything he could, but everything wasn't enough sometimes. He left Japan for several reasons aside from a fresh start; he just really needed to get away after what he did. Five years since he had left and Midorima still couldn't seem to forgive himself. Although, he wasn't sure if it was because of what he did or for leaving without a word and then not returning any calls or emails to his friends and family.

It wasn't until three months later that Midorima called his mother after his arrival in New York City. He had emailed her once a week prior to that just to let her know he was still breathing. That was all though, he didn't really ask what was happening and he told her he didn't want to know. About a year after his move, Midorima finally started talking to his father again. His father never asked why he left, assuming his son would say why when he was ready. Midorima was grateful for that because he never wanted to say why. Of course, now he might not have a choice. He was going back to Japan; he'd probably see most of his friends from his childhood and teenage years. His real concern was if he'd see _him_ again.

That adage that claimed time heals all wounds was complete bullshit in Midorima's opinion. He could only assume that if he felt like crap his ex-boyfriend probably felt even worse sprinkled with a bit of rage and hatred. Midorima wouldn't blame him if he were mad; he had every right to be.

"That'll be $13.50," the driver said when he pulled in front of Midorima's apartment building.

"Keep it running, I need to get to JFK," Midorima said as he handed the man some cash.

"Will do," the driver agreed with a nod as he took the money and got comfortable in his car.

Midorima climbed out of the cab and ran upstairs to his apartment on the third floor of the six-story brick building. As he jogged up the stairs, he could feel his legs burning from overuse. He had just worked a thirty-one hour shift at the hospital and wanted nothing more than to shower, eat, and then sleep. Unfortunately, his flight was leaving in two hours. He didn't have any time to eat or sleep. When he reached his door, he quickly unlocked it and walked inside. He shrugged off his coat and peeled off his scarf. Midorima threw both articles of clothing onto the coat rack nailed onto the wall. Dropping his keys on the kitchen counter, he ventured across the small living room and into his bedroom. Thankfully, he had packed before he went into work. Midorima sputtered, he really wanted to just lie down on his comfy bed.

He rubbed his tired eyes and shook his head. He grabbed hold of his suitcase and duffle bag. Dragging his stuff into the small kitchen, Midorima decided to make a quick cup of coffee before he departed. As he got the machine brewing, he walked back over to the door placing his stuff beside it. In one swift motion, Midorima slipped his black coat back on and wrapped his dark red scarf around his neck. It just so happened that today's lucky item was a red scarf, but the hospital staff didn't really like when he brought his lucky items with him. They would always complain it took up to much room, but he still brought them anyways if they could fit in his locker.

Running back into the kitchen, Midorima grabbed his forest green thermos and snapped the lid onto it. He did on final check to make sure he had everything he needed. His phone was in his pocket, his passport was in the duffle bag along with his plane ticket, and his coffee was in hand. Assuming he had everything, Midorima grabbed his keys and slipped out the door with his belongings. The sucky part about living on the third floor was when you had to carry heavy things down or up. Muttering a few curses under his breath, Midorima made a mental note to request to move onto the first floor once his lease ended in the summer.

When he reached the sidewalk, Midorima walked to the cab and popped the trunk open. He tossed his suitcase inside along with his duffle bag and slammed it closed. His green eyes drifted back to his apartment building before he sighed. The vapors of his breath fogged up his glasses and he quickly took them off. As he wiped them clean, he got into the cab and told the driver to get him to JFK Airport as fast as he could. The driver gave him a thumbs up and started driving down the road.

Midorima only started speaking to his sister again about a year ago. She was mad at him at first, calling him an idiot and saying that she hated him, but also missed him. They had always gotten along and were actually very close. His mother said that she cried for days after he left, and she was even more upset when he refused to talk to her. He told his mom to tell her how sorry he was, but that he just needed some time to get his life together. Two years ago, Midorima emailed his sister for the first time. He wrote her a long letter telling her how sorry he was, that he missed and loved her, and he told her all about his new life in New York. The only thing his sister said in response was: _Are you happy?_

Midorima replied with one simple answer: _Not always._

From then on the two emailed each other once a day and rekindled their sibling relationship. About a year into it, his sister told him that she really needed to talk to him. She said she wanted to physically hear his voice and told him to call her. At first he was very hesitant about it all, but he called her. They talked for about an hour and before they hung up, his baby sister told him: "I'm engaged, Oniisan!"

He was happy for her, he really was and she told him that his wedding gift to her could be for him to come to Japan for the wedding. Midorima instantly told her no, which broke her heart and made her angry. She didn't talk to him for four months even when he tried to email and call her. He felt guilty for flat out denying her, so he finally swallowed his fear and pride and told his mom that he would try to get some vacation time from the hospital. That was when she devised the plan to make it a surprise. The Chief of Surgery allowed him to have one week off to visit his family in Japan, and for the past six months Midorima had kept it a secret along with his mother and father.

"Mind if I ask where you're heading?" the driver asked, trying to make some small talk.

The young green haired doctor looked into the rearview mirror and sighed softly. "I' going back to Japan for my little sister's wedding." He forced a smile and looked back out the window as they drove down the highway.

"Wow! Well congratulations," the driver said with a bright smile and a small laugh. "How long have you been in the States?"

"Five years," Midorima replied, looking at the driver through the small mirror.

"Have you been back since?" the driver inquired.

Midorima shook his head. "No, I have not."

"Well your English is really good," the driver complimented with a laugh.

"Thanks, I have been practicing since I entered college almost nine years ago," Midorima replied, and it was true when he entered college he took classes to improve his English. It worked out very well since he ended up coming to America, not that he had ever planned too. Of course, everything changes with time.

"That's very impressive, and you're a doctor too?" the driver, who was a stubby man with thinning hair, asked as he glanced up into the mirror.

"Yeah, I'm finishing my residency this summer," Midorima replied with a small smile. He couldn't really deny the fact that he was proud his one year internship and four years of crazy hours and barely able to afford rent was coming to an end.

"Good for you," the driver said. "What specialty are you in?"

"Pediatrics," Midorima replied.

"That's great, " the driver said as he took an exit and Midorima saw the air field with all the huge passenger planes. "Well, I hope you have a nice time in Japan."

"Yeah, I do too," Midorima replied as he pushed his glasses up a little bit.

The car rolled up to the drop off area, and Midorima sighed. There was no turning back now, he was at the airport and his flight was leaving in one hour. He pulled some cash out of his wallet and handed it to the driver, thanking him for the ride. As he got out of the taxi, he walked to the trunk and pulled out his belongings. The cold New York air rushed passed him and he shivered a bit as he slammed the trunk closed.

He stepped onto the sidewalk and stared at the doors of the huge airport. This was the very same airport he had come in through five years ago. Midorima licked his lips and walked inside, hoping and praying that the universe would be nice to him during his little trip to Japan.


	2. Takao Kazunari

**Author's Note** : Updating a day early because I won't have time to update tomorrow since I'm going to be driving for like half the day tomorrow. I hope you guys like this chapter, and many thanks to everyone who has favorited this story and added it to their alert lists! And a very special thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I'm very excited about this story, so I hope you all are too! Love ya!

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"Travel brings power and love back into your life."

 _-Rumi_

* * *

 **TAKAO KAZUNARI**

The crisp winter air greeted him with a kiss as he walked out of his apartment. He let out a breath, watching the vapors swirl around his face. Quickly turning around, he pulled his door closed and locked it as he made his way down the staircase. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his gray coat and his shoes crunched on the freshly fallen snow. It would soon melt away once the sun got high enough, making the sidewalks and streets damp with slush.

The moment he got to the ground floor, he stopped and took a deep breath. It was Friday morning and he had spent the better half of the night grading his students' tests. Sometimes he wondered why he become a high school teacher, but then he reminded himself he liked the other half of his job. Takao Kazunari was twenty-seven years old and was an English teacher at Shutoku High School where he was also an assistant coach. Next school year he would become the head coach since the current head coach, his own coach when he was a student, Nakatani Masaaki was retiring from coaching.

Takao rounded a corner and spotted his favorite bakery at the end of the block. He smiled as the sweet smell of the pastries and freshly brewed coffee filled his nostrils. The grey-eyed man picked up the pace and stopped in front of the bakery to look in the window. His mouth watered at the sight of the display case next. All the loaves of bread and muffins looked absolutely delicious. Takao moved towards the door and pulled it open. As he walked inside, he was greeted with warmth and the savory smells of fresh baked bread and sweets.

"You're late," a man with dark hair, thick brows, and steel blue eyes stated firmly the moment Takao walked in.

"I'm not late, everyone else is just early today," Takao chuckled as he walked over to the small table his friend was sitting at. When he took a seat across from him he beamed seeing that his friend had already ordered his usual breakfast. "Thank you," the gray-eyed man said as he wrapped his hands around the paper coffee cup.

"You're just predictable," Kasamatsu Yukio, chortled as he took a quick sip of his own coffee before leaning back in his wooden chair.

"Predictable? If I was predictable you would have known I was going to be late, but since you didn't I think that successfully nullifies my predictability," Takao replied and batted his lashes before taking a small bite out of his banana nut loaf. The dark haired man scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Where's your lover?"

"Ran away and joined the circus," Kasamatsu joked, causing Takao to laugh lightly. "He had a shoot this morning." He brought his cup to his lips and sipped on the warm liquid. Kise Ryota was Kasamatsu's boyfriend of nearly seven years. It happened in the most unorthodox way, but everyone who knew them apart liked them even more together. Takao constantly teased the two about their tryst in Greece, where their romance officially sparked. Of course, it could be argued they had a thing for each other in high school.

Takao still remembered the day when he and Kasamatsu had gone out to a bar after his return. He was so flustered and tongue-tied it nearly took him half an hour just to explain he'd met Kise when he went on vacation to Greece with some friends. It took him about four shots of alcohol to finally blurt out they hooked up. Takao had fallen out of his chair from laughing so hard. Kasamatsu had turned so red and started yelling profanities at Takao, but that didn't make him stop laughing. After his laughing fit though, Takao placed his hand on Kasamatsu's shoulder and told him they were good for each other. In some ways, Takao took credit for the two getting together. If he hadn't told Kasamatsu they were good for each other, they probably would have never started dating.

"Say the circus one, sounds better," Takao commented after a few short seconds. He sipped on his coffee quietly and stared at the display case. The doors of the kitchen swung open and Takao looked to the tall man that walked out. "How's that cake coming, Murasakibara?"

The tall man carrying a tray of freshly baked Danishes looked over at the table. "For Maya-chin's wedding?" Murasakibara asked, his violet eyes going to the display case. His violet hair was tucked under a white chef's hat and his black apron had white powdered handprints on it. He began to lay the Danishes onto the white plates in the display case. "It'll be ready, Aka-chin told me it had to be perfect." His eyes went back to Takao, who raised a brow with intrigue.

"Akashi? He told you? I didn't know he cared," Takao muttered as he took a small bite out of his banana bread.

"It's because Aka-chin's father is sick," Murasakibara informed the two and they both looked at him. He nodded his head slowly and closed the display case, looking to the two. "Mido-chin's father is looking after him, they hired him privately."

"When did that happen?" Kasamatsu asked as he stood up from the table.

Murasakibara looked like he was deep in thought before saying, "A couple of months ago."

"Has Akashi heard from _him_?" Takao asked as he stood up from the small table too. Murasakibara looked at Takao quizzically, but when they locked eyes he understood. It had been almost five long years since Midorima's disappearing act. Takao rarely talked about it and if he did he said very little about it.

"I don't think so," Murasakibara replied before walking back into the kitchen. He didn't like seeing Takao sad, or Midorima's sister sad either. Even though so much time had passed the wounds seemed to still be very deep.

"Hey," Kasamatsu said, nudging Takao with his elbow as they walked out of the bakery Murasakibara owned. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned for his friend's well being. In high school, Kasamatsu and Takao hardly knew each other, but Takao always admired Kasamatsu's skills in basketball. Over time the two became friends and soon they hung out all the time and even played basketball together from time to time.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Takao asked, forcing a smile.

Kasamatsu gave him a disbelieving look, which caused Takao to roll his eyes and sigh. "I know this past year has really been hard for you," the dark haired man explained with a small shrug. "You reconnected with _his_ family and I know you, Kazu," Kasamatsu deadpanned.

"What do you know?" Takao inquired with a raised brow.

"I know that you're hoping _he_ will come back," Kasamatsu replied and frowned slightly, when Takao looked away. "It's been five years, don't you think it's time to just let it go?"

"If it were Kise, would you let it go?" Takao inquired before taking a small sip of his coffee. Kasamatsu opened his mouth and quickly closed it. There was always that one person that would change everything. No matter how hard you tried to forget them, they never left your memory. They became apart of you and the love you had would be marked on your soul like a tattoo on skin. "I didn't think so, anyways I have to go. I'll see you at the wedding in a couple of days." With those words Takao, waved to his friend and made his way towards Shutoku High School.

The day Midorima Shintaro left Takao Kazunari's entire world shifted. They had been dating since their last year of high school and all through their college years. A week after graduation, Takao came home to their apartment and found it was empty. All of Midorima's things were gone and there was a single note on the bedside table. In Midorima's clean and crisp writing were the words: _I'm sorry_.

Takao called him over and over, each time it went straight to voicemail. He emailed him, he texted him, and went onto his social media only to find he closed all his accounts. After all this time, Takao still didn't know what had happened. He asked Midorima so many times in emails and voice messages. Every single day for a year, Takao sent Midorima a message either through a text or call. Not once did Midorima reply to him. Eventually, Takao stopped trying and tried to move on.

He hadn't succeeded.

In two days Midorima's little sister was getting married to a man who managed to pull Takao out of his sadness and grief. Three months after Midorima left, Takao didn't really know what to do with himself. He just went through the motions of life, but then he met Higarsahi Hiro. The man was of an adventurous soul, always taking pictures of everything. One day, Takao happened to be his victim as he was sitting in the park near his apartment, watching a basketball game being played by some kids.

Takao didn't realize Hiro had taken half a dozen pictures until he approached him. He asked him why he looked so sad and from there on they spent the next four hours talking. Hiro told him that Takao needed to get out and see the world. He said that Takao was thinking too small when he had a world of opportunity before him.

"It sucks when the person you love suddenly decides they don't love you anymore," Hiro told him seriously as they sat inside of a little coffee shop on the edge of the city. "It hurts even more when you don't know why, but that's when you have to realize there are like seven billion people out there. And before you can assume that this guy is the one you can't live without, you should really meet the other seven billion."

"So what are you suggesting?" Takao asked curiously.

"In two weeks, I'm going to Africa. I'm going to take photographs of some of the animals on the savannah and some of the tribes out there, then I'll be going to see a leper colony in Ghana," Hiro explained and Takao's eyes widened. "Come with me."

"I could never," Takao said with a small laugh and shook his head. Hiro had tilted his head slightly and raised a brow at him. "Let's say I went with you, then what?" Takao inquired, wrapping his hands tightly around his coffee cup.

"Then we travel for an entire year," Hiro beamed, causing Takao to nearly choke on his drink. He couldn't believe that Hiro was being serious about all of this. They were strangers and he wanted to travel the world with him? It didn't seem safe or logical, not to mention Takao couldn't afford such a journey. "You don't have to come, but if you do want to come I'm catching the first plane to South Africa on the first." Hiro wrote his phone number down on a napkin along with the flight name and the time of it's departure. He handed it over to Takao, who stared at it in disbelief.

"You're serious about this?" Takao inquired, staring into Hiro's bright blue eyes. "We hardly know each other."

"What better way to get to know someone than traveling the world with them?" Hiro laughed as he stood up from his seat. He clapped Takao on the shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "Even if you don't come, I hope you feel better. I lost someone I loved too, and sometimes she's very hard to forget." With those words, the tawny haired slender man walked away, leaving Takao with a lot to think about.

Surprisingly, Takao bought a ticket and went with Hiro to Africa. It was the adventure of a lifetime they literally traveled the world. Hiro took pictures of it all, they ventured across the African savanna and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. They then boarded a plane that brought them to China where they walked for several miles down the Great Wall of China. Takao then suggested they go see the Taj Mahal where they also rode elephants and swam with them. They climbed up the stone steps to the top of Machu Picchu in Peru. They reconnected with nature in the Galapagos Islands off the South American coast. They rode camels through the Egyptian desserts where they went to see the Pyramids of Giza. They visited the Grand Canyon in the United States and hopped onto a plane that brought them to Hawaii where they learned to surf and swam with dolphins. Sometimes Takao couldn't believe how much he had seen and done in such a short time.

For an entire year they travelled the world with no particular destination, they just went wherever the wind blew them. It had been an eye opening experience for Takao; he met so many people, and experienced so many things. He learned what it was like to be hungry, to be thirsty, to sleep on the hard earth, and he learned what it was like to love and be loved in return by complete strangers. They visited many poor areas in different countries, volunteering to help in anyway they could. He remembered building a school in a small African community, he remembered rescuing people from a flooded village, and he remembered trekking through dense forest in South America. It was the most amazing thing he had ever done and many times he thought about doing it all again.

Takao yawned when he reached Shutoku's main entrance. He sighed as he walked in, mentally preparing himself for another Thursday. School would be over in a month then would start up again in April, which would mark five years since Midorima left without a word and flew across the world to live in New York. Sometimes, Takao often wondered if he'd ever see that man again. He wondered even more so what he would do should they ever meet again.

When he was traveling, Hiro had suggested they go see Midorima. Takao declined though, saying that if he and Midorima were to ever see each other again it should be by happenstance. That was probably something Midorima would have said, but Takao didn't want to barge in on his life. He had to believe that Midorima left for a reason and when he was ready, if ever, he would talk to Takao again. The thing was though, Takao wasn't sure how much longer he'd be willing to wait. He was going to be thirty years old in three and a half years. It was time for him to have a family, but part of him wanted to hope that Midorima would come back.

The more he thought about it though; he wondered if that would really be for the best. The sad truth of it was that even if Takao met someone incredible and perfect by all standards it would never work out. The reason being was because Takao was infected by a man named Midorima Shintaro. He was quite certain that even if a hundred years went by it would still be Midorima Shintaro that would have his heart.


	3. Welcome Home

**Author's Note** : I didn't plan on updating early, but since I managed to write three chapters of this story, I figured why not update? So here is an early release to You Again, and there will be a chapter on Monday as well. Thanks for reading everyone and a very big special thanks to **Miss Mugiwara** for your beautiful reviews to this story so far! Until next time.

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The secret is to make sure your family comes before anything else, because no matter what you do you've got to come home.

-Barry Gibb

* * *

 **WELCOME HOME**

Fourteen hours on a plane was too long for anyone to be stuck in a chair. He had a crick in his neck, his legs were stiff, and his back hurt. Thankfully, he was able to sleep on the ride around the world, but it wasn't very comfortable. If anything, Midorima felt just as exhausted as he had when he left New York. He moved through the throngs of people as they made their way to different terminals and the bathrooms and front entrance. Midorima turned his phone back on as he moved through the airport, going straight to baggage claim. His duffle bag hung off of one shoulder as he trotted down some stairs.

When he reached the main floor of the airport, Midorima spotted the baggage carousels. He apologized as he squeezed through people and made it to the front of the crowd. Right as he arrived the machine belts started moving and the suitcases from his flight came rolling out. As he stood there with his arms crossed over his chest he spotted his suitcase coming around. Midorima was relieved it didn't get lost or misplaced like one of his bags had when he went to New York for the first time. Thankfully, it was only a suitcase of clothes, but it still sucked to lose half his wardrobe.

Midorima grabbed his bag when it reached him and pulled it from the carousel. When he put it on the ground, he pulled up the handle and turned around. He made his way out of the airport, but stopped when he spotted his mom walking in. While he hadn't expected to cry, he felt tears pricking his eyes. Five years, that's how many years had come by since he had seen his mother in person. He let go of his suitcase and dropped his duffle bag onto the ground.

"Oh my…Shintaro!" His mother ran over to him and threw her arms around him, getting up on her toes just to get around his shoulders and neck. Midorima laughed lightly as a few tears fell down his face as he wrapped his arms around his mother. Not once did Midorima think that he would be this moved by seeing his mother again. She hadn't changed much at all. Her age showed a little more, but otherwise her smile, her hugs, and her kisses were the same as when he was there all those years ago.

Hotaru, his mother, sobbed into her son's chest and she pulled away. She cupped his face in her hands and Midorima smiled at her. Shaking her head, his mother pulled him back in for another hug and cried more and more. It was a very emotional reuniting and Midorima could only imagine what his father and sister would do once they saw him. Hotaru pulled away again after a few more seconds and laughed as she brushed her tears away from her eyes.

"Look at you! I missed you so much!" Hotaru said as she grabbed her son yanking him into another hug. Midorima laughed and hugged his mother, rubbing her back as they stood in the middle of the lobby. "I'm so glad your home," she whispered into his ear.

"I missed you too, mom," Shintaro replied as he pulled away and kissed her cheek. He wiped away her tears and grabbed his duffle bag and suitcase. "Let's go see dad and Maya," Shintaro suggested as he wrapped his free arm around his mother's shoulder.

"Maya is going to be so happy to see you," Hotaru assured him as she put her arm around his waist. "You have to tell me everything about New York on the way home," his mother told him, and Midorima nodded and smiled at her.

"Five years is a lot to catch up on," Midorima replied with a small laugh.

"Honey," Hotaru stopped him when they reached the parking garage. Her son looked at her and stopped walking. "Kazu-kun is going to be at the wedding, I just wanted you to be aware. And I didn't tell you sooner because I didn't want you to change your mind."

Midorima was silent and he wasn't really sure what he felt. When he first decided to come he was sure that he'd probably run into the man he walked out on. Of course, he thought it would only be a fifty percent chance. To discover he was going to be attending Maya's wedding was essentially the universe saying 'screw you for destroying the man you were so madly in love with'. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it suddenly. His green eyes locked with his mother's chocolate brown ones. She gave him a sympathetic smile and placed her hand on his own, squeezing it in a comforting manner.

"It'll be okay, Shintaro. He's okay now," Hotaru assured him, but Midorima wasn't so sure he would be okay once he saw him. As it was, Midorima didn't even know what he was going to do if he saw Takao again. "I don't know what happened between you two, but I know you and I know him." She smiled at her son and rubbed his arm gently.

"I don't even know what to say to him," Midorima said to his mother.

"Start with 'how have you been' and go from there," his mother replied and nodded towards the car.

"I don't think that will be sufficient," Midorima mumbled as he pushed his glasses up.

"Nothing you say will be, but it's somewhere to start," Hotaru explained as she unlocked the car and opened up the back seat door. Midorima nodded stiffly and put his duffle bag inside followed by his suitcase. "It's been five years and you haven't spoken to each other, just start fresh." She closed the car door and pulled her son into one more quick hug. When she pulled away from him she kissed his cheek and gestured for him to get in on the passenger side.

Hotaru started driving, heading out of the parking garage and straight back to the house. She explained that his sister was getting her nails done, so they would have time to get his things unpacked. She gushed about different ways to surprise his sister, but Midorima tuned out after a few minutes. He subconsciously nodded his head and smiled and laughed a little every now and then. His mind was elsewhere though; he couldn't seem to shake the information his mother had given him. Midorima didn't really know if he would not have come if he knew Takao would be there at the wedding. At the end of the day, it was a very special day for his little sister, so he probably still would have come. But he felt so anxious thinking about seeing Takao again after five years.

Midorima hadn't seen what Takao looked like since the day he left. He strictly told his parents and sister that he didn't want to know about him. It wasn't because he was that cold and bitter, but because he thought it would make him depressed. As a doctor, Midorima had enough stressful emotions while tending to patients. What Midorima really thought though was that if they told him about Takao he'd leave everything and return to him. Deep down though, Midorima didn't feel like he deserved Takao not after what he did.

Japan looked the same as it had when he left. The winter weather wasn't as terrible as New York. It was cold, but not nearly as cold as New York had been. There wasn't much snow to be seen, but the skies were overcast so there was always a chance. Midorima sighed softly and ran his fingers through his green that hadn't changed at all since he left. In fact, aside from being a little more built Midorima looked the same as when he graduated from high school.

"Kazu-kun works at Shutoku now, he's a teacher and the coach of the basketball team," Hotaru mentioned as they drove passed the school. Midorima's eyes widened in surprise, he never pinned Takao to be the teaching type. He always pictured Takao being a radio talk show host, since he always loved to talk. It became even worse when Kise came along and started hanging out with him. Takao and Kise would gossip all day long about anything and everything.

It made Midorima smile thinking about the many times he'd walk into their apartment to find Kise and Takao sitting at their table babbling about something. In the past it used to annoy Midorima, but after having lived alone in New York in a tiny apartment, he realized the value of having company over to liven up and warm the home. Sometimes Midorima felt like such a hermit, doing nothing aside from working and sleeping. About ninety percent of his time was spent at the hospital and the other ten percent was in his apartment. He hardly had time to meet anyone new aside from his own patients and occasionally a new nurse.

Most of the people at the hospital liked Midorima. He was very precise and to the point and always-caught things they missed. In his third year of working at the hospital he was given two interns to guide. Surprisingly enough, those two were now his only friends in New York. Friends that actually invited him places and came over to his place from time to time. The first three years though, Midorima only went to the hospital and his apartment. Not that he minded at the time, he spent most of his time trying to get in on surgeries. There was one person he was friends with back then, but unfortunately he moved to another hospital that was in Chicago where his mother was. She was very sick with cancer and he wanted to be with her. He asked Midorima to come with him, but Midorima didn't want to leave not after everything he'd accomplished in New York.

"Here we are, home sweet home," Hotaru said as she pulled the car into a small driveway outside of Midorima's childhood home. They lived in a nice residential neighborhood where they actually had a front and backyard. It wasn't too far outside the city, but far enough to not hear sirens going off all night. The house was still the same misty grey color with the charcoal black accents. It was a simple two-story home with a beautiful garden, which his mother often tended too.

"Hasn't changed at all," Midorima said with a smile as he climbed out of the car. He leaned against the roof of the car and admired the house for a bit. Many memories started flooding his mind. So much happened inside that house as well as the neighborhood itself. In the center of the residential community there was a small park, which was where he learned how to play basketball. There was also a community swimming pool, which he learned to swim in and taught his sister to swim in. Inside his old home he remembered the scents of delicious foods, the laughter at dinner every night, and the squeaking of the stairs when he and his little sister would slide down them on pillows.

"We've done our best to keep it the home you and your sister know it to be," Hotaru explained as she looked to her son. "Just in case you ever want to come home, which you always can." She smiled at him, and Midorima nodded his head knowingly as he closed the car door and went into the back seat to get his things.

"This was the house that built me," Midorima said as he started walking up the small path to the front door. "I didn't think I missed it this much, but maybe it's just the memories I miss."

"You know, sometimes home isn't always a place," Hotaru mused as she opened the front door to the house. "Sometimes home is actually a person."

"What are you hinting at?" Midorima asked with a raised brow as he walked inside. He quickly took off his shoes and moved his suitcase and duffle bag aside. The fresh smell of linen filled his nose just like it did when he lived with his parents. A small smile came to his face as he saw everything where it had always been. The lumpy old dark blue coach, the fuzzy beige rug and the rustic looking coffee table, and even the old rosewood entertainment unit was still the same.

"Well look at you," Midorima's father, Tadashi, laughed as he walked in from the kitchen. "You've become a man," his father said with a smile as he walked over to his son and wrapped his arms around him.

"It's good to see you, dad," Midorima said honestly as he hugged his father back. The man laughed lightly and clapped Midorima on the back, holding him tight as he buried his face in his son's shoulder. When Midorima realized his father was silently crying, he closed his eyes and rubbed his dad's back. "I missed you," he whispered.

His father sniffled a little bit and said, "I missed you too, Shintaro." When the older man pulled away, he wiped away the few tears he shed and smiled at his eldest child. "Thank you for coming home," Tadashi said to his son, clapping him on the shoulder before pulling him in for one more hug. "You look great, Shintaro."

"Thanks, dad," Midorima said with a small smile.

"Your sister is going to be here in about fifteen minutes, so you better hurry and get your stuff upstairs," Hotaru said, patting Midorima's belongings. "We'll have to surprise her good."

"Okay, how did you want to do this?" Midorima asked as he gathered up his things, preparing to ascend the stairs.

"In the kitchen, just stay up there and I'll get her into the kitchen. Once we have her, I'll send your father up to get you. I want to record this," Hotaru gushed as she clapped her hands together and wandered over to the kitchen to prepare some lunch. It was almost 11:30, so she was sure her daughter would like something to eat since she didn't get the chance to eat breakfast. "Hurry, hurry," his mother waved Midorima towards the stairs and he nodded before walking up the stairs to his old bedroom.

When he got to the top, Midorima smiled as he stared at his bedroom door. Even though he hadn't opened it or gone in yet, he knew that everything was just as he left it. Taking in a deep breath, Midorima pushed the door open and walked inside. He shook his head as his eyes looked at everything in his room. For the most part the room was pretty barren aside from a few posters on the walls and a couple of books on his old bookshelf. He walked over to his bookshelf where he saw a photo frame laying face down on the top shelf.

Midorima swallowed hard as he grabbed the frame and picked it up. As he turned it over, the green haired teen sighed softly and looked at the photo in the frame. He licked his lips and smiled weakly at the smiling faces of him and Takao from their first year in college. It was taken the day they were leaving to move into the dorms together. At that time they had been dating for almost a year at that point. He rubbed his finger over the glass and put the frame back down. Midorima wondered how much Takao had changed since he left.

"I'm home! Look mom!" Maya called out as she walked into the house. Midorima quickly closed his door quietly in case she ran up stairs first. "In two days I'm going to be getting married!" Maya squealed with excitement and Midorima rolled his eyes. His sister was very different from him; she loved being in the spotlight. When she learned how to tie her shoes as a kid, every time she put them on and tied them everyone in the whole house had to clap.

"Hey come down now, quietly," his father said, poking his head into the room.

"Okay," Midorima replied with a single nod as he turned around to look at his father. He walked out of the room, and his father put a finger to his lips as he quietly went down the stairs. Midorima waited until his father reached the end of the stairs before following him down. He could already hear his mother and little sister gushing over her nails and how beautiful she was going to look. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, his father waved for him to follow.

Maya was standing in the middle of the kitchen with her back to them. Midorima smiled and shook his head she had grown so tall. He quietly stepped into the kitchen behind her as his father walked around and placed hand on her shoulder, welcoming her back. Maya turned around slightly and smiled at her dad, but noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

"Who's—Shin-chan!" Maya screamed in shock and ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. Midorima laughed as his sister latched onto him, burying her face into his shoulder. She started to cry and Midorima hugged her tight, picking her up off the ground. Maya sobbed as her brother rubbed her back and kept his hold on her. He glanced to his mother and father, who were both wiping away tears at their children's reunion. "I thought…what are you doing here?" Maya asked as she pulled away wiping away her tears.

"Well we wanted to surprise you," Midorima explained with a smile as he brushed his sister's hair from her face. Maya shook her head and pulled her brother into another warm embrace. "It's good to see you, Maya, you look beautiful." He rubbed her back and held her close.

"Thank you, thank you," Maya cried. "Thank you for coming home," she whispered to him and Midorima smiled.

"You're welcome," he said softly and kissed the top of her head. "It's good to be back."


	4. The Truth

**Author's Note** : Hi everyone, so I have decided to update this story every Sunday instead every Monday. This story isn't going to be very long, I'm assuming about 10 to 12 chapters max, and thank you all for reading and commenting and favoriting! I appreciate the support. Until next time everyone, have a good day or night!

* * *

Maybe coming clean is the ultimate selfish act. A way to absolve yourself by hurting someone who doesn't deserve to be hurt.

-Cindy Chupack

* * *

 **The Truth**

Midorima and his sister spent the whole afternoon talking and catching up on everything. They were walking side by side through the park that they used to play at as kids. Maya was telling Midorima about her plans about moving somewhere a little quieter than Tokyo. She was in her final year of college and graduating in the summer. Midorima couldn't believe that she was graduating; he couldn't believe how much he missed in her life in just five years.

Maya told him that she was lucky to have met Hiro and that she was so happy. Her older brother smiled and nodded his head as she started talking about babies and buying a house. He stopped walking and placed a hand on Maya's shoulder. She looked up at him questioningly and smiled weakly. His green eyes bore into her brown ones and he shook his head.

"Maya you really need to slow down," Midorima said to her. "You should enjoy this because you're going to miss it. Trust me." He put his arm around her shoulders and led her over to an empty bench off to the side of the sidewalk. They both sat down and Midorima looked up at the sky through the bare tree branches. In a few weeks, the whole park would begin to bud with the beautiful cherry blossoms. He missed those spring days where he would walk home from school among all the pink petals.

"Shin-chan," Maya said softly and he looked at his sister. Her chocolate brown hair that matched their mother's fluttered in her face from the late winter chill. "Why did you leave?"

"Maya," Midorima sighed as he rubbed his temples.

"No! Look, I've been understanding up to this point," Maya paused for a second when Midorima looked back at her, "I want to know, you didn't just break my heart…you broke our parents heart and Kazu's too." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. For five years, Midorima hadn't told anyone the real reason he left at least no one that mattered. He might have mentioned it to a nurse or patient back in New York.

"I don't want to talk about it," Midorima said flatly as he pushed his glasses up. Maya sighed in annoyance and shook her head as she shot up from the bench. She started walking off and Midorima licked his lips. "Maya!" he called out, but she just waved him off and kept walking. Midorima got onto his feet and followed after her. When he finally caught up with her he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her to a stop.

"Why can't you tell me?" Maya asked, pulling out of his hold. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. Midorima shook his head and muttered something under his breath. Maya raised a brow and gestured for him to say something.

He couldn't bring himself to do it though. How was he supposed to tell his little sister when he hadn't even told Takao? Sometimes he couldn't even believe what he did. As Maya stared at him, Midorima ran his fingers through his hair and groaned.

"You don't have to give me details just a few words to tell me what made you leave," Maya told him simply. She waited, hoping he would open up about it. Maya had been very understanding and patient, but now that she could see him and touch him, she wasn't letting him leave until he told her the truth. "Don't give me the whole fresh start thing because I don't believe you."

Midorima licked his lips and adjusted his glasses. "I can't tell you," he said simply and Maya threw her hands up in the air. She turned on her heels and was about to walk away, but Midorima cut her off. "You still talk to him don't you? If I tell you, the whole damn city will know if I tell you."

"Of course I talk to him, he's family!" Maya snapped. "He was the one who introduced me to Hiro. You didn't talk to me for three years! You didn't talk to dad for a year and you haven't spoken to Kazu in five years. Why, Shin-chan?" Maya looked at him expectantly, hoping he would just finally break down. When he didn't say anything after a few moments, Maya brushed her hair behind her ear. Her bright brown eyes downcast to the ground and she sighed softly.

"I cheated on him," Midorima stated.

Maya's head shot up. She stared at him in surprise and hugged him tight. In truth, Maya had assumed that something like that had happened. She wished he hadn't run away from his problems, but that what Midorima did. He was always so good at running away. When Maya pulled away from him she looked up at him. His green eyes were tearing up and Maya frowned. Midorima swallowed hard and pulled off his glasses, quickly wiping his tears away.

"Five years and it's haunted me every single day," Midorima explained as he put his glasses back on. "I missed him. I missed everyone. I missed home. But I just couldn't come back and face him, I still don't think I can." He shook his head slowly and sighed heavily as the memories of that night came screaming back at him.

"You tell him the truth," Maya said and Midorima looked at her with wide eyes. "It's hard and scary, but you have to tell him." She placed a hand on her brother's arm in a reassuring way. Maya looped her arm through his and pulled him along. They started walking down the side of the road, heading back towards their parents home.

"How is he, Maya?" Midorima asked of his old boyfriend, which caused Maya to smile.

"He's okay," she replied with a single nod. "He traveled the world with Hiro for a year. It really helped him, but to be honest I don't think he's moved on. I think he's still in love with you." Maya looked up at him and smiled warmly at him.

"What makes you think that?" Midorima inquired.

"It's just a gut feeling I have," Maya answered. "Don't you think you should go talk to him before my wedding? I'd like it if you didn't steal my thunder by opening the door to the past."

Midorima rolled his eyes and stifled a laugh. His little sister giggled and patted her brother's arm as they walked around a corner. "I'm just going to let the universe decide when we meet, I'm not going out of my way." He shook his head and looked down at his sister for a few moments. She smiled at him and squeezed his arm in a comforting manner.

"If that's what you wanted to do you never would have come back," Maya pointed out, which made Midorima huff. "Who was it, Shin-chan?" she asked, causing Midorima to blink in confusion. He shook his head not understanding her question. "Who did you cheat on him with?"

"Nope, we're not talking about that," Midorima declared and when Maya tried to say something her brother stopped and looked at her. "Not about that, Maya, enough!" he snapped at her, causing her to frown and look away in defeat. Midorima felt bad and muttered an apology for yelling at her. She shook her head and continued to walk in silence. They were back on the street to their parents house. Maya had stopped walking when she noticed Hiro's car parked outside of the house.

"Hiro's here, you can finally meet him," Maya said with a bright smile as she pulled Midorima down the road. "I think you two are going to get along great." She let go of Midorima's arm and ran up to the front door of the house. Her brother sighed and decided that he was just going to have to meet the man who had first traveled the world with his ex and second was marrying his little sister. When he got to the door, Midorima could already hear his sister talking. The sound of the back door opening and slamming shut caused her to go silent.

"Hey Maya-chan."

Midorima froze dead in his tracks at the sound of the greeting. He was about to turn around and run. That voice, he hadn't forgotten even though he hadn't heard it in five years.

"Kazu-kun? What are you doing here?" Maya asked, trying to sound normal.

"Visiting?" Takao tried with a laugh. "Why?" he asked her.

"It's just…well…" Maya seemed to be at a loss for words. Midorima could just imagine the look on her face. Of course, Takao and Midorima would have to see each other again. They were both going to be at her wedding, but this was probably not the way for them to see each other again.

"Are you okay babe?" another man asked, Midorima could only assume it was her husband to be that was speaking. With a heavy sigh, Midorima pulled the front door open and walked inside.

"I'm fine," Maya assured them both. She turned towards the entryway to the kitchen as Midorima started walking up. Hiro and Takao both noticed she was looking at the entrance and turned their attention to it. Midorima swallowed hard and stepped into the kitchen with all eyes on him.

His parents were seated at the table, Maya was standing next to Hiro in the middle of the kitchen, and Takao was leaning against the kitchen counter by the back porch door. Midorima licked his lips and tried not to make direct eye contact with Takao. The grey-eyed man was gazing at him though; he could feel his eyes burning holes through him. Maya looked between Takao and Midorima, looking very worried and anxious. The air in the room had gone completely still and Midorima felt like he was suffocating. When he looked up at Takao, he thought he was going to melt into a puddle.

Midorima's hands were shaking, his palms were sweaty, and he could feel the blood pulsing at rapid rates through his veins. This was not at all how he wanted to see Takao again for the first time. His knees seemed to be buckling and his throat felt constricted. Midorima kept telling himself over and over to just breathe, but it wasn't helping at all. Takao's mouth slowly fell open and he started to shake his head. It was like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. When their eyes locked, Midorima felt like he had just been hit by a train.

Takao couldn't find his voice, he couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, and he couldn't even think straight. It wasn't an illusion or a dream Midorima Shintaro was back. He was standing just across the room looking just as scared and nervous as Takao felt. When he ripped his eyes away from Midorima, Takao shook his head and stumbled towards the back door. His hand pushed it open and he muttered an apology as he slipped out of the house.

Everyone was silent for what seemed like an eternity before Maya cleared her throat.

"Hiro-kun this is my brother Shintaro," Maya introduced, gesturing to her brother. He smiled weakly and bowed slightly to Hiro, who returned the gesture.

"Nice to finally meet you," Hiro said as he walked towards Midorima. They were almost the same height, but Hiro was an inch or two shorter than him. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Likewise," Midorima managed to say, but his eyes kept going back to the back door. He wasn't sure if he was waiting for Takao to walk back in or if he wanted to run out there himself. "I'm sorry, could you excuse me for a moment." Midorima didn't wait for an answer as he turned around and walked back out through the front door.

"I should have mentioned he was here, I'm sorry," Maya said the moment she heard the front door close. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head. "That was not how I had envisioned them seeing each other again." She frowned and looked to Hiro as he nodded his head knowingly. His tawny hair fell in front of his eyes and he looked over to Hotaru and Tadashi.

"The truth of the matter is," Hiro began as he pulled Maya close, "no matter how they met again it was going to be rough."

"I didn't think it would go like that though," Maya said as she walked over to the table and sat across from her parents. "I thought it would have been a better reunion to be honest."

"They'll work through it, Maya-chan," Hotaru said as she reached for her daughter's hand and squeezed it gently. "These things take time, they both love you so they won't ruin your special day." Her mother smiled at her and nodded her head.

"Your mother's right," Tadashi agreed. "Let them work it out on their own. They'll be civil for you."

"I don't want them to just be civil," Maya replied as she sank back in her seat. Hiro walked over to the table and sat down beside Maya. "I want them to be happy again." She sighed softly and looked at her future husband, who nodded his head in understanding.

"Let's just let them work this out for now," Hiro suggested with a smile as he leaned over and kissed Maya's cheek. "How about I make dinner for us?" he offered as he stood up and wondered over to the pantry.

* * *

-###-

* * *

Takao walked into the club Kasamatsu owned and went straight to the bar. He climbed onto a stool and laid his head down on the counter. It was only five, so for the most part the club was completely empty aside from a couple of workers. He heard someone walk up to him and lifted his head from the counter assuming it to be Kasamatsu. Sure enough the dark haired man raised a thick brow at Takao.

"Get me a double," Takao said before burying his face back in his arms.

"Of what?" Kasamatsu inquired as he dried a glass and hung it up on the rack overhead.

"Anything!" Takao's muffled response came.

Kasamatsu clicked his tongue and placed a glass in front of Takao. No ice and poured some whiskey into it. He pushed it towards Takao and leaned on the bar. "What's up, Kazu?" Kasamatsu inquired with a raised brow as he watched Takao down the drink like a fish out of water. Takao gestured for another, and Kasamatsu obliged. "Okay, I'll wait until you get drunk then." Kasamatsu put the bottle down and pushed the glass back towards Takao.

"He's back," Takao muttered.

"Come again," Kasamatsu said, gesturing for Takao to speak up.

"He's back," Takao stated firmly and clearly. He picked up his glass and threw it back, allowing the liquid to burn down his throat and into his stomach. Kasamatsu just stared at Takao in disbelief. "And he looks good, that's the worst part." He slammed the empty glass down on the counter, taking the bottle from Kasamatsu and filled it up again.

"Midorima Shintaro is back in Japan?" Kasamatsu pieced together with a raised brow. Takao grabbed the glass and stared at it. He nodded his head slowly and Kasamatsu pulled the glass away from Takao. "Your emotions will make you drunk enough, no need to add fuel to the fire." Kasamatsu downed the drink for Takao and smiled weakly when he slammed it back down. "So what are you going to do?"

"I have to do something?" Takao asked as he reached for the whiskey bottle, but Kasamatsu moved it from his reach. He put it on the glass shelf behind him and looked at the grey-eyed man.

"You haven't let go," Kasamatsu said to him, and Takao pressed his lips together. He looked down slowly at the counter of the bar and let out a shaky breath. "And since you haven't let go that means you still love him. So are you really not going to say anything? What about the wedding on Saturday?" The owner of the club leaned on the counter and waited for Takao to look at him again.

"Can I simply not go?" Takao asked with a cheeky smile, and Kasamatsu chuckled. "I mean I'm only—"

"The best man, so yeah you gotta go," Kasamatsu interrupted. "And think how disappointed Maya and Mika would be."

"My sister would get over it," Takao grumbled as he rubbed his finger along the top of the glass. He knew that Maya and Hiro wanted him to be there and they would be devastated if he didn't show. Of course, it was all talk, whiskey talk really. Takao would go; he would just avoid Midorima like the plague. Although, Takao didn't want to avoid him, he wanted to talk to him. He wanted to walk right up to Midorima and kiss him so hard that he would be sorry he ever left.

"Yes, but Hiro and Maya are counting on you," Kasamatsu stated simply with a small shrug. "So you can either go out there and find Midorima, or you can wait until the wedding and make a spectacle out of it."

"Those are my only options?" Takao inquired, meeting Kasamatsu's pretty blue eyes. When he nodded, Takao sputtered and buried his face into his folded arms. "I don't like them."

"Doesn't matter," Kasamatsu replied with a shake of his head. The bells on the door jingled and Kasamatsu looked up and smiled. "Better start acting happy before Ryota gets a hold of you,"

Takao turned around and sighed when he spotted Kise walking into the club.


	5. Hate You

**Author's Note** : Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter, thanks so much for the comments on the previous chapter. Sorry for any typos or grammar errors you may encounter while reading. Love ya!

* * *

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

-Maya Angelou

* * *

 **Hate You**

Midorima was walking aimlessly down the street. He wasn't sure if he was looking for Takao or if he was just trying to clear his head. It might have even been both. When his green eyes fell upon Takao, Midorima felt his knees buckle and the air in his lungs seemed to have disappeared. Had it really been five years since he'd seen Takao Kazunari? Takao looked well, which made Midorima happy. Nothing seemed to change about the grey-eyed man's appearance aside from looking a little beefier than before. Maya had mentioned he was a coach now, so he probably kept up real well with his workouts. Unlike Midorima, who lived off of nasty hospital salads and ran up and down the hallways whenever he was paged. That was about the only fitness and nutrition he seemed to have in his life. He rarely cooked because when he went to his apartment all he really did was sleep and shower.

Midorima finally stopped walking after about half an hour of wandering. When he stopped he looked around and found himself in the middle of a shopping district. The green haired man sputtered and ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn't sure if he should go back to his parents' home or down an entire bottle of hard liquor. The more he thought about it, the better a bottle of vodka was beginning to sound. Midorima wasn't much of a drinker, however when he was in New York there was a bar just three blocks down from the hospital. He often went there with some of the other interns and occasionally the nurses after a long hard day.

Midorima found an empty bench outside of a supermarket and sat down on it. He rested his elbows on his knees and pulled off his glasses. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Midorima cursed himself inwardly for deciding to come back. It was important to his sister, he knew that and it was important to his family. Regardless of that though, Midorima just wasn't ready to face Takao. In fact, Midorima didn't think he could ever face him. Where would he even begin? It was bad enough he left without a word, but to have cheated on him before he left was a literal stab right in the heart. And even if he apologized profusely and swore up and down he never meant to hurt Takao, it wouldn't matter because he already had.

Midorima put his glasses back on and rubbed his temples. He didn't have the energy for this. A surgery was less stressful than this. Of course, Midorima was never good at expressing himself. That wouldn't excuse what he did though, even Takao drew the line somewhere. He felt lower than rock bottom, but if he wanted to look on the positive side the only direction he could go was up.

"Shintaro?"

The man on the bench stopped massaging his temples. His green eyes opened up and he slowly looked over to his left. Standing at the other end of the bench, looking as debonair as ever with a brown paper bag of groceries was none other than Akashi Seijuro. Midorima's mouth slowly fell open, but he quickly closed it and pushed his glasses up. The redhead chuckled lightly at the nervous tick that Midorima had even when they were in middle school together.

"Akashi Seijuro," Midorima greeted politely as he tried to keep his composure together. "How are you?" the doctor asked with a weak smile as he turned to face Akashi.

"Five years and that's the only reaction I get?" Akashi asked with a raised brow. Midorima was surprised by his tone of voice and his facial expression. It was very unlike him to seem so relaxed. The Akashi that Midorima knew was formal, prim, and proper. Of course, he had to remind himself a lot could change in five years. Unfortunately, his feelings for Takao hadn't seemed to change even a pinch in five years.

"I thought it was a standard greeting," Midorima mused as he looked Akashi up and down. He was in black slacks with a dark red long sleeve button down tucked in nice and neat. There was a black silk tied around his neck and his shoes were so shiny, Midorima swore he could see his reflection. When his green eyes lifted back up to Akashi's face, he smiled weakly and looked away from those heterochromatic eyes of his.

"Fair enough, you never were one to express your feelings," Akashi stated, hitting the nail right on the head. Midorima licked his lips and sat up a little straighter. "But running, you were always good at running." The redhead sat down on the other end of the bench and put his bag of groceries down in between them.

"You haven't changed much," Midorima muttered.

"It's only been a couple of minutes," Akashi said as he stared at Midorima, who was refusing to look at him. "Anyways," he paused for a moment and looked out into the parking lot, "you're back in Japan after five long years and you decide to begin your return by sitting in a supermarket parking lot?"

"Yes," Midorima deadpanned, but Akashi only snickered since he knew it was a blatant lie. "You look good, Akashi."

"Thank you," the redhead said with a single nod. "What's wrong? Were you expecting your return to Japan to be pleasant? Five years without a single word to any of your friends and your ex-lover, surely you knew it would blow up in your face."

Akashi was contemptuous him and it irked him.

"You and your sister were always close though, it would only make sense for you to return for her wedding," Akashi added in, which caused Midorima to look at him with intrigue. As far as he knew, Akashi and his family had only spoken a handful of times. And each of those times was at basketball games, nothing more than that.

"How do you know about that?" Midorima asked with a raised brow. This was Tokyo; it wasn't like a small town where everyone knew everyone's business. Thousands of people lived within the city, millions even.

"It's complicated," Akashi replied with a small half-hearted shrug.

"Then make it simple," Midorima said harshly, surprising the redhead a bit. The green haired man was never one to get snappy with anyone. He would be firm, but never snappy.

"You ran into Takao," Akashi assumed, and Midorima quickly looked away. "Did you say anything to him?"

"Like what?" Midorima asked, but Akashi only stared at him. "I'm actually asking you. What could I possibly say to him? He hates me."

"Is that why you're sitting here moping on this bench?" Akashi asked with a small chortle. He shook his head and rested one of his arms along the backrest of the bench. "I see becoming a doctor in America hasn't taught you how to deal with stressful situations."

"Surgery is straight forward," Midorima stated as he looked into Akashi's eyes. "Handling people's feelings is delicate and has no guide or textbook answer."

"You can start with why you left, because that's probably all he wants to know," Akashi said simply, but Midorima scoffed.

"Like it's that simple," Midorima snorted as he pushed his glasses up.

"It is that simple," Akashi retorted.

Midorima didn't respond. He was always a little awkward and shy when it came to expressing his feelings. It made him feel like he was on display or something whenever he opened that door of emotions. Akashi was probably right though. The simplest and easiest thing he could do, would be explaining to Takao why he left. That's what he intended to do too, but he didn't even know how or where to begin.

"Don't leave again without fixing what you left behind," Akashi said as he grabbed his grocery bag and stood up from the bench. "Actually it's pretty much fixed, but there are still a few parts missing that only you can amend."

"I don't know," Midorima mumbled as he looked down at the ground.

"My advice to you is to be honest with Takao," Akashi explained as he walked towards the edge of the sidewalk and looked back at Midorima. "I have to go now, but I'll see you at the wedding."

"You're attending?" Midorima inquired with wide eyes.

"Yes," Akashi replied with a single nod as he walked off before Midorima could bombard him with a slew of questions.

* * *

-###-

* * *

Midorima found himself standing in front of a club. He wasn't one to go drink his misery away, but right now it seemed like a good idea. When he opened up the door of the bar, he stepped inside and looked around. It was a modern looking bar, clean, spacious, and the music wasn't unbearably loud at all. There were several groups sitting on some black lounge couches and high tables with sleek looking stools. Across from the entrance was a wall to wall bar that was nicely lit up with glass shelves adorned with bottles of liquor and beer bottles. Fixed cushioned stools were lined along the bar that was being manned by three people. There were about ten people sitting at the bar, but there were still a dozen open seats.

"What can I get you?" the man asked. He wore a simple black t-shirt and dark washed jeans with a white dish rag tucked in his back pocket. Midorima took a seat and drummed his index finger on the counter as he looked at the wall of liquor.

"Whiskey Sour," Midorima replied as he pulled out his wallet, handing him both his ID and a credit card. "Open tab." The bar tender nodded as he took the card and glanced down at the ID. He stared at it for a second before pushing it back to him. Midorima watched as he walked down and leaned over to talk to another man. The other man straightened up and whipped around.

"Midorimacchi!"

"Oh no," Midorima groaned as he watched the blond from his middle school and high school years walk over. The green haired man took in a deep breath and looked up at the blond. "Hello Kise."

"Five years! Where the hell have you been?" Kise asked as he stood in front of Midorima and leaned against the counter. He hadn't changed much, still the pretty boy blond with an impeccable fashion sense. He wore ripped up jeans that hung on his hips and his black shirt was tight fitting, showing off all his muscles. Midorima had to admit the blond looked pretty good just a little older.

"I've been doing my residency in New York City," Midorima explained, cutting straight to the chase. "I'm a pediatric surgeon now."

"You work with kids?" Kise asked with a smile as he started making Midorima's drink. The young doctor nodded his head and pursed his lips slightly. Kise smiled happily and garnished Midorima's drink with a cherry and orange slice. He pushed it over to Midorima and rested his chin in his the palm of his hand. "That's really impressive, Midorimacchi. You look...well you look like shit."

"Thank you," Midorima replied sarcastically with a weak smile as he picked up his drink and took a sip. "I feel like it too."

"Do you?" Kise asked with a raised brow. "Imagine how Kazu must feel," Kise mused, causing Midorima to choke on his drink. He put it down on the counter and pushed his glasses up. "I think you should talk to him more than anyone else here, he's the one you hurt the most." Kise looked over to the right side of the club and Midorima followed his gaze. Standing over by the pool table with his back to him, talking to Kasamatsu Yukio was Takao.

"I would wander into a bar Takao would be at," Midorima grumbled to himself and picked his drink back up.

"This is my bar, well actually it's Yu-chan's, but I'm co-owner," Kise explained with a bright smile on his face. Midorima furrowed his brows before he realized Kise was talking about Kasamatsu. "We opened it two years ago, I still model and moonlight as a bar tender." The blond chuckled and sighed softly.

"You aren't gonna get up here and strip are you?" Midorima asked, trying to not visualize.

"I might if you don't talk to Kazu," Kise stated, causing Midorima to scrunch up his nose. The blond gave Midorima a sympathetic smile and waved for him to go. "We can catch up when you fix the damage you caused." The blond looked as if he was about ready to crawl over the bar and kick him across the club to Takao. Midorima sipped on his drink and Kise rolled his golden eyes, ripping it away from him. "Go! Now!" Kise snapped, pointing over to Takao.

"Let me have my liquid confidence at least," Midorima said as he tried to grab the glass, but Kise kept it away from him. "Kise."

"You really shouldn't be drunk for this," Kise pointed out with a small smile. "I'm saving you from yourself."

"Kise, don't take this the wrong way, but screw you," Midorima grumbled with narrowed eyes as he turned in his chair. He looked back over to Takao and took in a deep breath.

"I have a boyfriend, I'm sexually—"

"Shut-up!" Midorima interrupted before the blond hand the chance to finish his sentence. He got up from the chair and started walking towards Takao by the billiards. Kise nodded his head happily and hoped that Takao was in a listening mood. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," Midorima muttered under his breath as he got closer and closer to Takao and Kasamatsu.

Midorima was about to turn around and walk away, but Kasamatsu spotted him. The green haired man licked his lips and froze where he stood. The dark haired man who owned the club opened his mouth, but quickly closed it and looked back at Takao. Midorima closed his eyes and when he opened them again a few seconds later, Takao was looking at him. His stormy eyes were fixed on him and Midorima was about ready to run and hide.

Kasamatsu said something to Takao, who nodded slowly and handed him his pool stick. The dark haired man walked over to Midorima and stopped a few steps in front of him. Midorima took in a sharp breath and Takao looked down at the ground.

"Come on," Takao said, nodding towards some glass doors that lead out into a covered patio area. He started walking towards the doors and Midorima reluctantly followed him. It was too late to run away now, but it seemed to be a popular opinion that he was good at it. As he walked after Takao, he kept telling himself to stay calm and just take everything one-step at a time. "We can talk out here," Takao said when he pushed the door open.

Midorima glanced at Takao for a moment before walking past him and out onto the patio. It was a stone paved patio, not overly big, but enough for eight tables that seated for people. A wooden trellis that had string lights decorating it covered the patio. In the four corners there were also torches that were giving the area a nice warm glow. Midorima turned around when he heard the door close and the music became muffled. Perfectly enough, no one was on the patio, giving the two of them complete privacy.

"I—"

"No!" Takao interrupted quickly, staring right into Midorima' green eyes. "I get to talk first."

Midorima pressed his lips together firmly, but nodded in agreement. He gestured for Takao to unleash his fury and stood patiently. His green eyes watched Takao closely as he took in a sharp breath and closed his stormy grey eyes. The dark haired man cursed silently to himself and walked over to one of the wooden tables. He sat down on the top of it, his feet just barely touching the bottom as he did so. Midorima watched him, wondering if he was going to yell, throw things, curse his very existence, or worst of all just sit there in complete silence.

Takao looked at Midorima and licked his lips. "It's funny, you know?" Takao asked with a stifled laugh as he rubbed his face with his hands. "I dreamed of this moment, planned for it, literally practiced it in a mirror."

Midorima looked down at the ground, avoiding the sadness and anger that was glowing in Takao's eyes.

"I had all this hate and anger and grief just built up inside," Takao revealed as he placed an open hand on his chest and gripped his shirt tightly in a fist. "And I kept telling myself when I saw you again that I would destroy you," he paused and let go of his shirt, tears welling up in his eyes as he shook his head with a bitter look on his face, "I would make you feel so guilty, so fucking miserable for leaving me and not even telling me why. For five years all I have ever asked myself, every day, every minute was: why. And it was awful and horrible and I just...I just hated your guts." Takao stared at Midorima, who was looking back at him with disappointment written all over his face.

Takao moved off of the table and stood on the stone ground. He put his hands in the pockets of his coat and shook his head. For some reason, Takao couldn't bring himself to say what he'd wanted to say for five long years. Everything he wanted to scream and shout just seemed to vanish from his mind the moment Midorima had walked into the kitchen back at his parents house. In his mind, he imagined things to go so differently, in a way Takao felt robbed that how he met Midorima again didn't meet his expectations. The idea was that Takao would shove Midorima against the wall, yell every last ounce of pain he felt, and then leave. That's all he wanted to do, but when Midorima walked into that kitchen all those feelings of hate and anger just melted away.

"But for some damn reason," Takao muttered as he walked closer to Midorima, looking up at him and catching his green eyes. "When you walked into that kitchen, everything I have wanted to say to you for the last five years escaped me. And it was because of that look...that damn look on your face. For those short seconds, I could see it and it made me hate you, love you." Takao grabbed Midorima by the front of his shirt and yanked him forward. "Why did you leave me?" he sobbed as he let go of Midorima's shirt and just laid his head against the taller man's chest.

Midorima hesitated for a moment and wrapped his arms around Takao, holding him close, supporting him the way he should have the last five years. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on Takao's head, trying his best to calm the man. The green haired doctor was about to say something, but Takao pulled away quickly. Midorima was startled by Takao's actions and looked at his tear stained face.

"I don't want to love you, Shin-chan," Takao croaked out as he wiped his tears away. "I just want to be happy again."

"I never—"

"Never meant to hurt me?" Takao finished for him with a grimace. "But you did, and honestly nothing you say is going to change that." With those words Takao turned around and walked back inside the club, leaving Midorima alone and out in the cold.


	6. Undo It

**Author's Note** : Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I didn't get any feedback, so I'm going to assume it was decent. Here's the next installment. We're almost halfway through the story, yay!

* * *

"To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it."

― Confucius

* * *

 **Undo It**

Kise was mixing drinks behind the bar and placed them all on a tray, waving the waiter off. As he walked away, Kasamatsu came up and climbed onto a stool. The blond smiled at his lover and leaned against the sleek wooden counter. They were inches away from each other and Kise was about to give him a kiss, but Kasamatsu placed a finger to his lips. Kise frowned when his lover smirked at him and shook his head.

"You're working," Kasamatsu said with a smile. The blond stuck his tongue out at the man across from him and grabbed a glass. He started to pour the liquid into his glass and looked over to the patio doors. The dark haired man did the same and wondered what was happening out there. It was too dark to see out the window and there was a glare from the lights. "What did you say to Midorima?" he asked his lover, turning his attention back to him.

Kise picked up his glass and sipped on the liquid, letting it burn and roll down his throat. He let out a breath and put the glass back down. "I told him to talk to Takao, they need to talk." Kise gave a weak smile to Kasamatsu and shrugged his shoulders. Picking up his glass again, Kise sipped on his drink and sighed. "Would you talk to me?" the blond inquired with a raised brow.

"I would want to, but I don't know if I could," Kasamatsu explained with a small shrug.

"I would talk to you," Kise said, and Kasamatsu chuckled lightly as he took a sip from the bottle of beer he was holding in his hand. The truth of the matter was, it was never easy to ask someone for forgiveness after you have done nothing to deserve it. "Not that I'd let you hide from me for five years. I'd find you."

"I don't think I could get rid of you even if I wanted too," Kasamatsu teased, and Kise pouted. "I love you," the dark haired man said to the blond. He leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"I'm working, no kissing," Kise mocked.

"We're kind of dead," Kasamatsu mused as he gestured to the room. There were about twenty or so people inside, and four other staff members wandering around. Kise raised a brow curiously and sipped on his drink, watching Kasamatsu. "We can probably go back to my office for like ten minutes." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled seductively at the blond, who smiled back.

"Or twenty?" Kise asked, wiggling his brows.

"Now that's adventurous," Kasamatsu chuckled as he sipped on his beer. His steel blue eyes caught sight of the patio door flinging open. He looked around some of the people and saw Takao darting straight for the front door. When the door came open, Kasamatsu was sure that it was Takao. A curse escaped him as he looked back to the patio door, but Midorima never came through.

"Was that Kazu?" Kise asked, squinting as he looked at the door. "Where's Midorimacchi?" The blond looked around but frowned when he realized he wasn't around.

"Rain check on office desk sex," Kasamatsu said as he reached over the counter and grabbed a bottle of vodka and an empty clean glass.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Kise asked as he watched Kasamatsu wander towards the patio door. When he watched his lover walk outside, Kise sighed and shook his head.

Kasamatsu walked outside onto the patio and spotted Midorima sitting at a table with his head cradled in his hands. Kasamatsu walked over to the table and put the glass on the edge of the table, pouring the clear liquid into the glass. Kasamatsu pushed it to Midorima, causing him to look up. The green haired man seemed a bit surprised when he saw Kasamatsu, giving him a drink.

"Kasamatsu, right?" Midorima asked, and the dark-haired man nodded with a small smile. He placed the bottle down on the table and pulled out the chair. When he sat down, Midorima licked his lips and took the glass. He muttered a small thank you and sipped on the drink. After he sipped on the vodka, he put it back down and looked at Kasamatsu. "You and Kazu are friends?"

"Best friends, I owe him a lot," Kasamatsu replied with a smile. "He's a good guy, but you know that."

"Yeah, I do," Midorima agreed with a single nod. "How has he been, honestly?" he inquired as he stared at his drink.

Kasamatsu wasn't exactly sure how to answer that question. In the beginning, Takao was a complete and total mess. When he went on his little adventure with Hiro, he was better. Things changed though when Hiro had to leave to return home to his family, who lived in California. Hiro's father had become ill, so Hiro moved to the States to be with them. In a way, Hiro while not romantically involved with Takao, had a way of lifting his spirits. Upon Hiro leaving, Takao went through a dark time. He started sleeping around and wasting his life away. Kasamatsu and Kise did everything they could to straight him out, but nothing had seemed to work. Until Mika flew down from Akita where she was attending University. She just about broke Takao in half and put him back together again. Mika was the only family member who still talked to Takao after he came out about being gay in his final year of high school.

"He's had his ups and downs, but currently," Kasamatsu paused for a moment, trying to find the right word to describe his friend, "Kazu is aloof."

Midorima nodded his head slowly. It made sense, Takao's family abandoned him with the exception of his little sister, and then Midorima left him, what was to be expected. Everyone Takao loved seemed to be leaving him; aloof was how anyone would act.

"Look," Kasamatsu said firmly, gaining Midorima's undivided attention. "Just because you did a bad thing by abandoning him that doesn't make you a bad person. That being said, what will make you a bad person is hurting him again. I don't know how long you are staying here, but don't hurt him again cause I don't think he'll survive it a second time."

"If I could undo it, I would," Midorima explained softly as he finished off the vodka in his glass. Kasamatsu offered him more, but Midorima shook his head to decline. "I'd undo hurting him, I'd undo leaving, I'd undo not talking to him for five years. Things don't work that way though, do they?"

Kasamatsu knew it was a rhetorical question, so he remained silent. His steel blue eyes studied Midorima with intrigue. Honestly, the green haired man hadn't changed much at all in five years, but when Kasamatsu looked into his eyes he could see the sadness and disappointment. It was obvious Midorima was kicking himself and blaming himself for hurting Takao.

"I don't even know how to make things right again," Midorima said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Start by telling him why you left and only left him a note," Kasamatsu suggested with a half-hearted shrug. "The good thing about Kazu is he listens even when he doesn't have to."

"Yeah, I know that all too well," Midorima agreed.

"So what are you going to do?" Kasamatsu asked with a raised brow.

"I don't know, I…" Midorima fell silent and swallowed hard. "I want…I want to be with him again."

Kasamatsu smiled softly and nodded his head. "Then you need to tell him everything and leave the rest up to him."

Midorima looked at Kasamatsu and nodded his head in agreement. "Where does he live now?" Pulling a napkin out of a dispenser on the table, Kasamatsu plucked a pen out of the pocket of his shirt. He scribbled down Takao's address and handed it over to Midorima. "Thanks, Kasamatsu."

"Don't break his heart. If you do, I swear I will make your death look like an accident," Kasamatsu smiled innocently as he stood up from the table. He grabbed the bottle and Midorima's glass before walking back inside the club. When the door shut, Midorima looked at the napkin with Takao's address. Licking his lips, Midorima stood up and decided to go to Takao's apartment.

* * *

-###-

* * *

Kagami Taiga was exhausted and was debating if he really wanted to climb up the stairs to his apartment. It was a long day at the station and he just wanted to fall over. Just as he was about to start climbing up the stairs, he heard someone walking up behind him. Kagami turned around and stepped aside to let the other person go first. The redhead tilted his head curiously and realized it was Takao.

"Oh Taiga," Takao said with a small smile that looked forced. The redhead knew Takao fairly well and could tell something was off about him. Takao was normally jovial for the most part, but right now he seemed very distraught. "Long day?" Takao asked as he fished for his keys in his pocket.

"Yeah, but what's wrong with you? You're not your usual annoying self," Kagami said, but he was merely teasing. For the past year and a half, Takao and Kagami had been neighbors. "Something happen?" the redhead inquired as he leaned back against the stair railing.

"What would you do if Tetsuya left you and then came back one day?" Takao asked as he walked to the stairs and took a seat on one of the steps. Kagami raised a brow in confusion. It was an odd question to ask, but he also knew that this had happened to Takao five years ago with Midorima.

Kuroko Tetsuya and Kagami Taiga had been dating for about three years now. In fact, a few months ago Kuroko moved into Kagami's apartment. They were happy and when Takao saw them together it reminded him of his time with Midorima. He wished that he had never lost that time with him. Sometimes he wished he had tried harder to get Midorima's attention. Sure he didn't know where he was for a while, but Hiro had offered to stop in New York. Takao wondered what would have changed if he had gone to New York with Hiro.

"Wait," Kagami pushed off of the railing and faced Takao completely. "Is Midorima back?"

"Ding, ding, ding," Takao chimed as he held up a single finger. Kagami let out a whistle and sat down on the step beside Takao. He didn't say anything, but Takao didn't really seem to mind the silence aside from the crickets chirping.

Kagami wasn't even sure what to say to Takao. He remembered how hard he took it. They used to play basketball together the first Saturday of every month. All the Generation of Miracles came to Tokyo and even a few of the members from their teams in high school. They'd spend hours playing basketball and joking around, but those days had long since faded away. For the most part all of them still talked to one another from time to time, but they stopped seeing each other.

To his understanding though, everyone still lived in Tokyo or in the greater Tokyo area. Akashi was the vice president of his father's company, which was located in central Tokyo. Murasakibara and Tatsuya opened a bakery/cafe just down the road. Kise and Kasamatsu had the club to take care of. Kuroko was a Kindergarten teacher at a school on the east side of the city. Aomine was a detective that worked homicide in Tokyo. Momoi was no a personal trainer along with Riko at the Aida Gym.

"We should get everyone together again," Kagami mused as he thought about everyone being in the same place once again now that Midorima had returned. Takao looked at him seeming slightly bewildered by the redhead's suggestion. Kagami picked up on this and shrugged his shoulders. "I know what he did sucks and was complete bullshit, but it would be your chance to get the answers you want."

Takao thought about it for a moment. Kagami had a point, but it wasn't like Takao wanted everyone to know. At least not just when he was finding out what caused him to leave. It would also be nice to see everyone again; it had been a long time since they last got together. Of course, Takao frequented Murasakibara's shop and saw Kise and Kasamatsu nearly every day. Kuroko and Kagami lived in the apartment across from him, so it wasn't like they were all strangers.

"Why do you think he left?" Takao asked, not really expecting an answer the question just came flying out of his mouth.

Kagami looked at Takao and sighed heavily. "Who knows," the redhead mumbled with a shrug. "Maybe you should ask him, he's back, probably going to be at the wedding right?"

"Yeah, he'll be there," Takao said with a nod. He ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the toes of his shoes for a few moments. "What if I don't like why he left."

"Kazu, I highly doubt you're going to like his answer regardless of what it is," Kagami pointed out with a small chuckle. "I mean, if it were me nothing he said would justify him just leaving. He was your person."

"My person?" Takao repeated with a chuckle.

"Yeah, you know the one you call if you wanna rob a bank or if you need help disposing of a body," Kagami explained with a shrug.

"So that's what you and Kuroko do in the dead of night," Takao teased and Kagami stifled a laugh, waving the issue off. "I get what you're saying, but I really want to believe he had a good reason."

"Well the only way to find out is by asking him," Kagami replied as he stood up from where he was sitting. He dusted off his sweat pants and looked down at Takao. When he looked back out his scarlet eyes widened. "And now might be the prime opportunity."

Takao blinked a few times and looked up at Kagami in confusion. "Why now?"

Kagami didn't answer, he simply pointed out towards the street where Midorima was walking in from. Takao quickly stood up and furrowed his brows. The redhead glanced at Takao and smiled weakly.

"So you finally decided to come back, huh?" Kagami asked, trying to ease the tension that was quickly building. Midorima looked at Kagami for a few moments and shrugged his shoulder half-heartedly before glancing at Takao. "You a doctor now?"

"Pediatric surgeon," Midorima clarified, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Kagami nodded and clicked his tongue before making his way up the steps. He stopped about half way and looked back at the two.

"Let's play basketball before you leave again," Kagami said to Midorima.

"I guess that would be alright," Midorima replied with a single nod. The redhead smiled and nodded before running up the steps, giving the two a little privacy. Once Midorima was sure Kagami was gone and out of earshot, he turned his attention back to Takao. "You left before I got to say anything."

"I guess I didn't know if I wanted to hear you out," Takao told him as he shoved his hands into he pocket of his coat. Midorima swallowed hard and moved closer to Takao. "The only thing I want to know right now is why you left. I don't care if you're sorry, because I already forgave you for leaving and breaking my heart. So just tell me why you left."

"Can we go in your apartment?" Midorima asked softly. "I'd rather not talk about this out here in the public."

"No one's around, Shin-chan," Takao pointed out, seeing as they were the only two people around. It was about eight o'clock in the evening, so most people were in there homes relaxing before the final day of the week rolled in. "So out with it," Takao badgered.

"Kazu—"

"Why, Shin-chan?" Takao asked harshly, not willing to bend even a little bit.

"Okay," Midorima sighed and pushed his glasses up. When he locked eyes with Takao, Midorima licked his lips and said, "I left because I did something unforgivable."

"Do explain," Takao pressed with a wave of his hand.

"Remember the fight we had about two weeks before graduation?" Midorima asked, and Takao nodded slowly as he remembered their arguing and yelling vividly. They had never had such a heated fight before. It wasn't exactly a pleasant memory for Takao, or Midorima. "After I stormed out, I went to a bar."

"Oh no, no, no!" Takao shook his head, quickly seeing where this was going.

"I had too much to drink and there was a guy and…" Midorima looked up at Takao, who looked angered and hurt. "We slept together. I cheated on you. That's why I left; I couldn't deal with the guilt. And I'm so sorry. It was the stupidest thing I have ever done, and I just—"

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Takao asked in a cold voice.

Midorima was silent and shook his head. Takao crossed his arms over his chest and stared him down. Back then, Takao and Midorima told each other everything and promised they'd always do that.

"Tell me why," Takao commanded.

"Because I found the ring," Midorima announced, causing Takao's eyes to widen in surprise. "Look, Kazu," he said softly and took a step closer to Takao, "I wish so much that I could fix all of this, undo it all. I can't do that though and it has haunted me everyday since I left. Of all the things I could have done this was the stupidest and worst decision, and I'll admit I was afraid to tell you. No, I didn't know how to tell you and I listened and read every message you ever sent and felt like shit. I'm so sorry, I really am so deeply sorry."

Takao was speechless, he didn't know what to say or do. All that came to mind was to stand there and look at Midorima. He wanted to know what Midorima did and know that he did, he wondered if not knowing would have been better. And even though, Takao knew the truth for some reason he still had feelings for him. They had been through so much together and Takao knew Midorima backwards and forwards. When he watched Midorima take off his glasses and wipe away some tears, Takao sat down on the stairs. He buried his face in his hands and didn't know what to do.

"Please say something," Midorima begged Takao, who looked up at him and sighed heavily.

"We promised we would always tell each other everything, the truth, no matter what and you ran away!" Takao snapped as he glared at Midorima. "But then again that's what you're good at right, running away. But I never thought you'd run away from me."

"I did it because I thought you'd leave me anyways," Midorima explained softly.

"No! Don't you dare," Takao hissed as he stood up. "I love you, Shintaro! I would have never run away from you, ever! Because I love you."

"You…love me?" Midorima asked in surprise.

"Yes! Of course I love you!" Takao snapped as he walked over to Midorima and stared up at him. "I told you I don't want to love you though, I want to be happy. But for some reason, I'm only happy with you and for five long years I tried. God! I tried so hard and no one loved me or made me laugh or made me happy like you."

Midorima was speechless. He didn't know how to respond to Takao's confession.

"I just love you and I've been trying so hard not to say it or feel it. I just wanted to mash it down deep, but it is so hard," Takao explained, his voice cracking a bit. "You know, I've met a lot of great people. Ones who really liked me, you know? They really liked me, but it couldn't work out and you know why?" he asked.

Midorima shook his head slightly, almost as if he was unsure if he was supposed to answer.

"Because I love you, like I am so ridiculously in love with you," Takao explained to him with tears in his eyes. "It's like you're in me and infecting me. I am infected by Midorima Shintaro," Takao paused for a moment and laughed lightly as he wiped away his tears, "And no one and nothing is better than you. I can't sleep. I can't breathe. I can't eat. And it's because I love you so much and when you left, you were all I thought about every minute of everyday, I love you."

Midorima was floored, completely and absolutely floored by this eruption of emotion coming from Takao. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that Takao would confess in such a way to him.

"Now I just have one question for you," Takao said as he finally regained his composure. Midorima felt worried all of the sudden as he watched Takao walk to him. "Who was it?"

"What?" Midorima croaked out and shook his head slowly. "I don't—"

"Yes, you do," Takao interrupted firmly. "I am asking you, who did you sleep with."

Midorima stared at Takao, who did not look as though he would waiver. Takao knew him so well that it almost scared him. In some ways, it was like Takao knew him better than he knew himself.

"You would not have left unless it was someone we both knew," Takao asserted with tears welling in his eyes. "So tell me who."

Midorima ran his fingers through his hair and inwardly cursed. He was hoping Takao would just let this go, but in his heart he knew he had to tell him who it was. When their eyes locked, Midorima licked his lips and sighed softly.

"Shintaro," Takao prompted.

"It was…" Midorima trailed, trying to find his voice. Takao stared at him expectantly as Midorima looked back at him and said, "Akashi Seijuro."

Takao closed his eyes and the tears rolled down his cheeks.


	7. Good Man

**Author's Note** : Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I didn't get any feedback, so I'm going to assume it was decent. Here's the next installment. We're almost halfway through the story, yay!

* * *

"Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries."

― James A. Michener

* * *

 **Good Man**

Midorima quietly unlocked the door to his parents' house, figuring they'd both be asleep since it was a quarter until eleven. When he slipped in through the door, he closed it quietly and started walking towards the kitchen when he noticed the light was still on.

"Dad," Midorima said softly as he walked into the kitchen and spotted his dad making himself some tea at the table. The older man gestured for his son to take a seat at the table.

"Would you like some tea?" his father asked him with a kind smile. "You're in late, catching up with old friends?"

Midorima pulled out a chair at the table and took a seat. He shook his head, but remained silent as he remembered Takao walking to his apartment. Midorima ran after him and tried to stop him, but Takao refused him. He slammed the door in his face and regardless of Midorima pleas Takao never opened the door. Midorima tried to get him to open the door for a good ten minutes before he finally took the hint. For the next two hours, Midorima wandered the streets of Tokyo before finally heading to his parents.

Part of him was half tempted to crawl into his sister's bed and make her listen to his miserable sob story. She probably wouldn't mind listening to him though; Maya did always love the drama. Midorima knew it was the right thing to do, telling Takao that he had drunken sex with Akashi Seijuro. He could sit there and swear left and right that it was a mistake, but it was not a mistake. Sleeping with Akashi, regardless of being drunk, was a choice.

It was a stupid choice. A ridiculous choice that he never should have made, but he did and now he had to live with it. For the past five years, Midorima has lived with it. Although, he did feel a little bit better now that Takao knew, he still felt like he was at rock bottom. Before Midorima was on the level below rock bottom, which he was pretty sure was one of the seven levels of hell.

Tadashi cleared his throat, causing Midorima to look up at his father. He mumbled an apology as he pulled of his glasses and rubbed his face. His father poured Midorima some tea and pushed the cup towards him. Mouthing a thank you to his father, Midorima took the cup and stared at it for a few moments. Licking his lips, Midorima sipped on the tea slowly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" his father asked softly, looking at his son. "You talked to Takao, what happened?" Tadashi pushed, and Midorima finished the tea.

"I told him why I left," Midorima explained in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper. "And while I'm glad I told him, I still feel like the world's most awful person." He buried his face in his hands and sighed heavily.

"What did you do?" Tadashi asked curiously.

"I cheated on him," Midorima admitted again for the third time in the day. He didn't want to say it anymore, he just wanted to forget and move forward. That was the thing about telling the truth though, it didn't just go away. It had to linger for a while for good measure. "I know it was a stupid choice, but at the time I just got lost in the moment. I never meant to do it, I never wanted to, but I did and now…" he trailed off and felt the tears pricking his eyes.

"Do you remember what I told you when you came out to me?" Tadashi asked, pouring more tea for his son. When he put the kettle down, Tadashi looked at his son. The young man nodded his head as he recalled his father's words.

"I expected you to disown me and hate me, but you didn't." Midorima remembered and looked at his father curiously. "Why are you asking me that?" his son asked, not understanding what his father was trying to make him see.

"Are you still the man I raised you to be?" Tadashi asked with a small smile. "That's what I asked you."

"I told you that regardless of who I loved, I was still the same person. I didn't think you would still love me, but you did," Midorima said with a weak smile. "What does this have this have to do with me cheating on Takao?"

"I raised you to be a good man and sometimes even good men do stupid things. That does not however define who they are," Tadashi explained and Midorima nodded slowly still not sure if he was following. "I was raised to be a good man. Love my wife, my children, and my friends through everything. We all make the wrong choices sometimes; the important thing is how you make the right choice the next time. If you don't then perhaps there won't be a next time."

Midorima stared at his dad and looked down at the table. "Are you saying you think Takao will give me a second chance because I'm a good person even though I made a stupid choice that ruined both our personal lives?"

"Exactly," Tadashi agreed, lifting his cup up to his lips and sipped on his tea. "Like you, Kazu is a good man and he loves you."

* * *

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* * *

Takao knelt down and reached under the doormat, plucking out a key. He stuck it into the lock, twisted it and let himself into the house. It was four in the morning and he hadn't slept at all. Since nine o'clock that night, Takao had been in his apartment pacing and wondering what he was going to do. He tossed and turned in his bed like a madman and weighed out the pros and cons. Not only did he blurt out his feeling he'd been trying so hard to repress, but also he blurted them out to Midorima. In turn, Midorima told Takao his dirty little secret and in all honesty, Takao also had a feeling it was something like this.

Wandering down the hall, Takao pushed the bedroom door open and stood at the foot of the bed. He watched the two men sleeping soundly not even realizing he was there. Takao felt bad for barging in on his two friends, but he really needed to talk to Kise. The blond was hugging a pillow tightly to his chest while Kasamatsu was snuggling into his back. It was a rather cute scene, but Takao felt the need to disturb them because he wasn't happy and he was in distress and needed to talk to Kise.

"You're being robbed, because you didn't listen to me and left your spare key under the doormat," Takao announced loudly, causing both men to jolt awake and stare at him in disbelief. The gray eyed man smiled at the two and waved pleasantly like he hadn't just barged into their place at the crack of dawn. "I need to talk to your lover, Kasamatsu. And I can't do it while you're fondling, so can you go?"

"Kazu! What the hell are you doing here?" Kasamatsu exclaimed and rolled onto his back, seeing the digital clock reading 4:03AM. "It's four in the morning? What the hell?"

"I just told you I need to talk to Kise, it's important," Takao stated firmly and looked at the blond, who sighed and fell back on the bed. He had a mini heart attack and Takao was acting surprisingly calm about having broken into their house. "I know it's early or late or whatever, but I've been tossing and turning all night and the only person I can think of to talk to is Kise. So please, get out of the bed so I can talk to him."

"Are you kidding?" Kasamatsu asked in annoyance. Takao was his friend, one of his best friends, but at this moment he could probably punch him and not feel the slightest bit guilty. When Takao just stared at him with a raised brow, Kasamatsu groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You can't just kick me out of my own bed?"

"I can, and I will," Takao replied as he yanked the blanket off of Kasamatsu. "Now go," Takao said with a wave of his hand.

"I'm not even wearing anything," Kasamatsu grumbled with narrowed eyes as he held the blanket over his private parts.

"I don't care, I've seen your penis and I have one too, it's all good," Takao said flatly, causing Kasamatsu to roll his steal blue eyes. He reached down to the floor and grabbed his pants. As he slipped them on, he got off the bed and Takao immediately climbed in.

"You're seriously kicking my boyfriend out of bed?" Kise asked when Takao plopped down in the spot Kasamatsu had been in.

"Kicked, he's already out," Takao corrected, causing Kise to huff and roll over.

"Since I'm up and being rudely kicked out, would you like some coffee or juice?" Kasamatsu offered in a mocking tone as he left the room.

"Coffee would be sensational!" Takao called out.

"Alright, talk," Kise commanded as he rolled over and looked at his friend. "What happened?" He sat up and propped up some pillows behind him. The blond looked at Takao, who seemed to be troubled.

"I don't know what to do, Kise," Takao sighed as he stretched his legs out over the bed. He was so confused about everything, well everything that had to do with his morals and Midorima. When Takao was younger his moral code was to give everyone a second chance, but how could he give Midorima a second chance. The love of his life cheated on him with a mutual friend and left like a ship in the night. Five years had gone by and he never knew, or maybe he did and he just didn't want to accept it.

Kise furrowed his brows and asked Takao what he meant. The dark haired man sighed softly and shook his head. Even hearing the words out of Midorima's mouth, Takao still didn't want to believe it. The blond nudged him with his elbow, and gave him a look.

"He cheated on me," Takao announced.

"He what?" Kise exclaimed, looking at his friend with wide eyes. "He cheated! With who?"

"Does it matter?" Takao grumbled bitterly.

"Hell yeah!" Kise replied firmly with a nod of his head. "If it was just some random person he would have stayed here, it had to be someone we knew." The blond stared at Takao, who stared straight across the room at a random spot on the wall. Kise frowned when Takao looked like he was about to cry. "Kazu?"

"It was Akashi," Takao muttered sadly, causing Kise's eyes to nearly bulge out of his head. "And even though I know and everything," Takao paused and swallowed hard before saying, "for some twisted reason I still love him."

"Are you _in_ love with him?" Kise asked with an emphasis on 'in'.

That was a very loaded question and if Takao was going to answer honestly, he'd say that he was. It was like he never stopped, he felt like Midorima was the one. Midorima was the man he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with. Knowing the truth didn't seem to change that either, he was hurt, but he didn't want to lose him again. Takao was so confused though about what he wanted and what he needed.

"I don't know," Takao lied with a shrug of his shoulders. Kise rolled his eyes and scoffed, calling him a lair. The dark haired man frowned and sank down into the bed. He grabbed a pillow and covered his face with it.

Kise sighed and grabbed the pillow, yanking it away from him. "If you love him and are in love with him and don't want to lose him again, go get him."

"He cheated on me! That's not something I can just ignore," Takao pointed out firmly. He buried his face in his hands and cursed under his breath. Kise lay beside him quietly and licked his lips. "What would you do if it was you?" Takao asked, hoping Kise would have some sort of advice to give him.

"I'd kill Yu-chan, honestly," Kise said partially serious and partially joking. When Takao rolled his eyes, Kise chuckled and placed his hand on Takao's knee. He patted it in a comforting manner and sighed softly. "I don't know for sure what I would do, but I would be honest with how I really feel."

"But what if what I feel is wrong?" Takao asked.

"It's not wrong," Kise assured him with a shake of his head. "Midorimacchi is a good person, he always has been and I'm sure he would spend the rest of his life proving to you how much he loves you if you let him."

Takao was silent for a moment. That was a lot to think about, Takao knew the risks and the stories of cheater. He wasn't really sure if he believed the saying, 'once a cheater, always a cheater' because eventually everyone found love. He wondered though, did that mean everyone got a happily ever after? Perhaps they only got that one great love and then once something like this happened that was it. The choice was hard, and Takao really didn't want to make it. Maybe he already had made his choice though and just wasn't sure if it was the right one. Could there really be a right or wrong when it came to loving someone? Everyone deserved some form of love right?

* * *

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* * *

Maya walked out onto the back porch. Her brother didn't even notice her as he stared blankly into space in deep thought. She assumed he had told Takao what he had done. It wasn't a simple thing to ignore, but Maya had this feeling that the two would somehow work it out. To her, Takao and Midorima made sense. The way they loved one another made her believe in true love. Even though Midorima had been a complete idiot and cheated on him, Maya believed they could overcome that. Those two were the reason Maya believed it was possible to love so honestly and so deeply. Sure, her parents were in love and they loved one another, but they were the typical, age old love story. They were the classic boy meets girl kind of thing, but Midorima and Takao were on a whole other level.

Everything was going against them when they first started dating. The captain and vice captain of the basketball team, and it wasn't just any basketball team, but one of the best in the country. People weren't accepting of their love, it even got some hate when they were featured in Basketball Monthly. They survived it though and ignored everyone else and did what they felt was right for them. It was completely inspiring to her that they stuck together. Of course, they weren't always perfect and no one ever was. They would fight, they would argue, and disagree with each other. At the end of the day though, Takao and Midorima knew it was harder to be apart. Somehow those two always managed to find their way back to one another. That was why Maya believed that everything was going to be okay.

"Good morning, Shin-chan," Maya greeted politely as she walked over to him. She took the empty patio chair beside him and leaned back. It was a beautiful morning despite the mild chill in the air. "Would you come with me today?"

Midorima turned to his little sister. "Where to?"

"I'm picking up my dress," Maya replied with a smile. There was nothing that could put a damper on her day. "I had it cleaned and tailored. I want you to see it before the wedding."

"Of course," Midorima replied with a small smile.

"Great, let's go then, we can get breakfast on the way," Maya said as she stood up from the chair. "Shin-chan."

"Yes?" he asked as he stood up.

"It's going to be okay," she assured him with a warm smile. "Everything will be okay."


End file.
